4/16/2019 - 4/21/2019
Work has slowed down a little, and I took advantage of it the best I could. I made it out to Eagle Creek Park a couple nights, backyard birded over lunch one day, and tried to make it out as much this holiday weekend as much as I could. The good news is that I did get out. The bad news is that it's still a tad early for a lot of migrants. The wet... well, it rained all day Saturday. Sunday was supposed to be nice, but the fog was so thick, you could hardly see a block down the road. All in all, it was still great to get out.
On the 16th and 17th, I was able to get to Eagle Creek Park for a while. Both were really beautiful days. While I didn't get many photos, it was nice to just be out and enjoy the evening.
On the 19th, I was working from home. I was just thinking about breaking for lunch when I looked out the window and spotted a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher bouncing around in the tree. I bolted upstairs and popped open a window to try and get some shots. No gnatcather.... Out of nowhere, a warbler pops into the tree and hops around a bit before disappearing. Since I had my camera in hand, I was able to squeeze off a few shots and confirm the ID. Pine Warbler! A first for the yard, and a bird I never expected to see here. I hung out hoping the gnatcatcher or warbler would return, but my luck had ran out.
Saturday, the 20th, brought a long, frustrating day of rain. I tried working some to divert myself, but it wasn't working. I grabbed my gear and a rain cover for the camera and headed out the door. Anything would be better than sitting inside all day. I got to Eagle Creek Park and drove around. It looked pretty dead. I camped out at the seed pile a while. I was really just getting soaked and not much in the way of pics. I moved on and had finally decided to leave when I ran across a small flock of migrants feeding in the road. Pine, Yellow-throated, and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Hermit and Swainson's Thrush. I even had a Summer Tanager pop through. I spent quite a while walking up and down the small section of road; following the birds as traffic moved them around. By the time I left, I was pretty soaked. The camera was a bit wet, too. But, I was happy.
Sunday was Easter. I did not have long to bird and was anxious to get out and enjoy the nice day. The part the weathermen left out was how foggy it would be. Thick, thick fog blanketed the city. Disappointed, I went back to bed. I finally headed out and went to Eagle Creek Park, again. On the way, I had a Wild Turkey fly over the interstate. I'm not sure how many Marion Co. records there are for turkeys. The fog eventually burned off and revealed a beautiful day. It just did not reveal many warblers. The only new migrant for the day was House Wren. I tried tracking down Louisiana Waterthrush for some pics but failed.
I had to leave the park around 11:30 for Easter dinner with my family. After a good dinner, I headed home and shot out back for a while. I still have a Dark-eyed Junco hanging around, and the Yellow-throated Warbler that was coming to the suet feeder stopped by briefly. In general, the yard was as slow as the park. I do love redbud blossoms, though.
The weeks coming up will be busy with migration. I'm looking forward to a good May and, hopefully, some good pics.
Thanks for reading,
Mike